Electric heating element support



March 8, 1960 I REISCH 2,927,956

ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT SUPPORT Filed June 27, 1957 United StatesPatent ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT SUPPORT George J. Reisch, Shelton,Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New YorkApplication June 27, 1957, Serial No. 668,363

Claims. (Cl. 174-138) This invention relates to an electric heater andmore particularly, to an insulator arrangement for supporting anelectric heating element.

In the manufacture of electric space heaters, it has been customary toprovide hook-shaped insulators which may be formed of ceramic or othersuitable material for receiving and holding coiled electrical resistanceheating elements. Use of these insulators presents a problem withrespect to securely supporting the insulators without breaking them. Anarrangement for securely holding insulators so that they do not rattleor break even though the plate upon which they may be mounted is subjectto a wide range of expansion and contraction due to heating and coolingof the heater is especially desirable.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide animproved insulatorsupport arrangement for securely holding insulators sothat they do not rattle or break. a

. It is another object of this invention to provide a heating elementsupport which is simple in structure and which may be easily installedin a supporting plate.

- In accordance with one aspect of this invention, a hookshapedinsulator is provided for holding a heating element. The insulatorincludes a base portion having sides and a bottom surface. A recesshaving a side surface is for-med in one side of the base portion and astep is formed on the opposite side of the base portion for cooperatingwith an opening formed in a supporting plate.

A unique spring arrangement engages the bottom surface of the insulatorbase portion for urging the step and the side surface of the recess intocontact with the bottom surface of the supporting plate. By thisarrangement, a very simple yet effective means for easily installinginsulators and for holding insulators so that they do not rattle isachieved.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will beapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the improved insulator supportingplate showing some of the insulators supported thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the improved insulator supportingarrangement shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the supporting plate showing theimproved insulator partially inserted in an opening formed in thesupporting plate;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the supporting plate showing theinsulator fully seated in the supporting plate;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the improved springarrangement for securely holding the insulated supports.

As illustrated in the drawings, my improved electric heating elementsupport comprises a hook-shaped insulator 1 which is designed forconnection with a supporting plate 2.

As best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the insulator comprises an upperhook-shaped portion 3 for receiving a coiled formed in supporting plate2. As shown in Fig. 3, the

length of base portion 4 from a side 6 to a side 6a thereof, issubstantially larger than the length of opening 5 which is formed inbase plate 2.

In order to enable base portion 4 of the insulator to be pased throughopening 5, an enlarged recess 7 is provided in the right side 6 of thebase portion. Recess 7 is generally V-shaped and has a bottom surface 8and a side surface 9. With this arrangement, as shown in Fig. 3, whenthe bottom surface 8 of the recess is in contact with an edge of opening5, it can be seen that the distance from bottom surface 8 to thefarthest point at side 6a of the base portion 4 is less than the lengthof opening 5. Thus, the insulator may be positioned as shown in Fig. 3and then rotated counterclockwise and downwardly to enable base portion4 to be easily passed through opening 5. As shown in Fig. 4, the leftside (in of base portion 4 is provided with a step 10 which is arrangedfor co-operation with side 9 of recess 7 to provide seat portions on theinsulator which rest against a bottom surface 11 of supporting plate 2.

A uniquely designed spring arrangement is provided for securely holdingseat portions 9 and 10 in contact with the bottom surface 11 ofsupporting plate 2. As best seen in the right side of Fig. 2, thisarrangement comprises a generally straight spring wire 12 which engagesa bottom surface 13 of the base portion of the insulator. A plurality ofdownwardly extending apertured ears 14.may be provided on the bottom ofsupporting plate 2 for properly locating spring member 12. Referring nowto Fig. 5', it can be appreciated that these ears 14 may easily be provided by cutting and forming sheet metal plate 2. With this arrangement,straight spring 12, may be readily threaded through the openings 15formed by these downwardly bent ears 14. In order to restrictlongitudinal movement of spring 12, one end of the spring may be bentupwardly at 16 and inserted in a hole 17 formed in supporting plate 2. p

A notch 18 may be formed in the base surface 13 of base portion 4 forreceiving spring 12, for restricting transverse movement of insulatorholder 1 with respect to supporting plate 2, and to prevent accidentalremoval of insulator 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower surface 13 of baseportion 4 at the left side of notch 18 may be gracefully curved at 19 sothat spring 12 may be easily inserted into the notch without breakingthe ceramic insulator 1. As shown in Fig. 4, when spring 12 ispositioned in notch 18 movement of the insulator in a directiontransverse to spring 12 is restricted.

Means are provided for further restricting transverse movement ofinsulator 1 with respect to supporting .plate 2 after the insulatorshave been seated on side 9 of recess 5 and step 10. To achieve this, asshown in Fig. 4, an abutment 20 is formed on side surface 9 of recess 7.It can be seen that this abutment extends from the bottom surface 8 ofrecess 5 to an intermediate point along the side surface 9 of recess 5and that the distance from the inside of step 10 to the outside surfaceof abutment 20 is only slightly less than the length of rectangularopening 5. Thus, movement of insulators 1 is efiectively andconveniently restricted in a direction transverse to spring 12.

One of the most important advantages of the simplified electric heatingelement insulators 1 is that they are so constructed and arranged withrespect to the supporting plate that they may be easily and quicklyinstalled on the supporting plate or removed from the supporting plate.In order to fix a ceramic insulator to supporting plate 2, it is merelynecessary to pass the bottom right side of base portion 4 of theinsulator through opening 5 so that the bottom 8 of recess 7 is incontact with an edge of the opening as viewed in Pig. 3. Then theinsulator may be easily snapped into position by pushing downwardly onthe left side of the insulator so that straight wire 12 slips ongracefully curved portion 19 of the insulator and into notch 18. Inaddition, with this movement, step 10 is lowered beyond the bottomsurface of supporting plate 2. A slight leftward movement will removethe right bottom edge of opening 5 from the top of abutment to the sidethereof so that it rests on side 9, and will cause the left edge ofopening 5 to contact step 10. It can be seen readily that in forcinginsulator 1 downwardly through hole 5 against spring 12, spring 12 isflexed between apertured ears 14 as shown in Fig. 2 and urges theinsulator 1 upwardly towards supporting plate 2. This action firmlyseats step 10' and side surface 9 of recess 5 against the bottom surfaceof plate 2. With this arrangement, even though supporting plate 2'expands and contracts a considerable amount due to heating andsubsequent cooling of the heater, insulator elements 1 will always befirmly held in contact with plate 2 by spring 12 so that they cannotrattle against plate 2.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of thisinvention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications can be made therein without departing from theinvention, and therefore, it is aimed by the appended claims to coverall such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit andscope of the invention.

What I claim as new desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. An electric heating element support comprising: a generallyhook-shaped insulator for holding a heating element, said insulatorincluding a base portion having sides and a bottom surface, a recesshaving a side surface formed in one side of said base portion and a stepformed on the opposite side of said base portion, a supporting platehaving top and bottom surfaces; an opening formed in said plate forreceiving the base portion of said insulator; and spring wire meansengaging the bottom surface of said base portion for urging the step andthe side surface of the recess into contact with the bottom surface ofsaid plate.

2. An electric heating element support comprising: a generallyhook-shaped insulator for holding a heating element; said insulatorincluding a base portion having a bottom surface; a supporting platehaving an opening formed therein; a recess having a side surface formedin the base portion of said insulator; a step formed in said baseportion opposite to said recess; apertured ears formed on the bottom ofsaid plate on opposite sides of said opening; and a spring wire threadedthrough said ears extending across said opening and engaging the bottomsurface of said base portion for urging the step and the side surfaceof. the recess into contact with the bottom of said plate.

3. An electric heating element support comprising; a generallyhook-shaped insulator for holding a heating element; said insulatorincluding a base portion having a bottom surface; a supporting platehaving an opening formed therein; a recess having a side surface formedin the base portion of said insulator; a step formed in said baseportion opposite to said recess; apertured ears formed on the bottom ofsaid plate on opposite sides of said opening; a spring wire threadedthrough said ears extending across said opening and engaging the bottomsurface of aid base portion for urging the step and the side surface ofthe recess into contact with the bottom of said plate; and a notchformed in the bottomsurface of said insulator base portion for receivingsaid spring wire.

4. An electric heating element support comprising; a generallyhook-shaped insulator for holding a heating element, said insulatorhaving a base portion; a supporting plate having top and bottomsurfaces, an opening having edges formed in said supporting plate; arecess having a bottom and a side surface formed in the base portion ofsaid insulator, the distance from the bottom of said recess to thefarthest point on the base portion of the insulator being less than thelength of said opening to enable the base portion of the insulator to bepassed through said opening; a step formed in said base portion oppositeto said recess; an abutment having an outside surface formed on the sidesurface of said recess for engaging an edge of said opening when theinsulator is seated therein, the distance from the inside of the step tothe outside surface of the abutment being only slightly less than thelength of said opening so as to restrict transverse movement of saidinsulator, and a spring Wire engaging said base portion for urging thestep and the side surface of said recess into contact with the bottomsurface of said plate.

5. An electric heating element support comprising: a fragile hook-shapedinsulator for holding a heating element, said insulator including a baseportion having sides and a bottom surface, a recess having a sidesurface formed in one side of said base portion and a'step formed on theopposite side of said base portion, a sheet metal supporting platehaving top and bottom surfaces; an opening formed in said plate forreceiving the base portion of said insulator; and spring wire meansengaging the bottom surface of said base portion for urging the step andthe side surface of the recess intocontact with the bottom surface ofsaid plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,470,993 Loundagin ct. 16, 1923 1,809,864 Pearson June 16, 19312,498,842 Kuenne Feb. 28, 1950 2,673,889 Mctz Mar. 30, 1954 FOREIGNPATENTS 70,163 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1952

